AFC submitted comments about the proposal to amend section 200.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner, regarding the ability of parents to file due process complaints seeking the implementation of services recommended on an Individualized Education Services Plan (“IESP”).
Policy Resources
AFC works to change education policy so that the public school system serves all children effectively. We publish policy reports and data analyses, testify at the City and State levels, speak out in the press to bring attention to the challenges facing the students and families we serve, and join with other advocates, parents, youth, and educators to call for change.
More than 115 Organizations Call for Changes to New York State’s School Funding Formula
Every child in New York State has the right to a sound, basic education—and providing such an education requires adequate and equitable funding. More than 115 organizations are calling on Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature to revamp New York’s outdated school funding formula to ensure schools have the resources necessary to provide a high-quality education to all students, with particular attention to those who have the greatest needs.161 Results Found
Today, AFC is testifying at a hearing of the New York State Education Department Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Task Force. Our testimony focuses on screening and intervention, emphasizing that moving the needle on literacy requires a comprehensive approach and a substantial and sustained commitment of resources.
Today, 116 organizations are calling on Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature to revamp New York’s outdated school funding formula to ensure schools have the resources necessary to provide a high-quality education to all students, with particular attention to those who have the greatest needs.
AFC submitted comments to the Rockefeller Institute of Government about the state Foundation Aid education funding formula. New York State must revise the formula to meet the needs of today’s schools and students, including students who need the most support.
Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the announcement of the Fiscal Year 2025 city budget agreement.
Today, AFC is testifying before the New York City Council Committee on Education regarding Intro. 266, establishing a bullying prevention task force; Intro. 399, requiring reporting on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act; Intro. 733, requiring reporting on Career and Technical Education; and Intro. 771, requiring distribution of information on interpretation services.
Today, AFC and the ARISE Coalition (coordinated by AFC) are testifying before the New York City Council Committee on Education and Committee on Finance regarding the FY 2025 Executive Budget and the FY 2025–2029 Capital Plan. Our testimony calls on the City to sustain funding for several critical programs that are still on the chopping block and to invest $1.25B to make more schools accessible.
The Fiscal Year 2025 budget must save education programs that are providing critical support to some of New York City’s most marginalized students and families.
Today, AFC and the ARISE Coalition (coordinated by AFC) are testifying at the NYC Council Committee on Education’s Preliminary Budget hearing. Numerous education programs, services, and staff positions are currently at risk of deep cuts as a result of the expiration of federal stimulus funding, the expiration of one-year city funding, and the Preliminary Budget cut of more than $700 million.
This report, which is based on conversations with parents of New York City students about their experiences working with their children’s schools as their children were taught to read, makes recommendations for New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) on how to partner with families as the city enters the next stages of its efforts to improve reading instruction across the school system.